From Capture to Sale

Book excerpt: From Capture to Sale illuminates the experience of African slaves transported to Spanish America by the Portuguese in the early seventeenth century. It draws on exceptionally rich accounts of one of the most prominent slave traders, Manuel Bautista Pérez. These papers cover the whole journey of the slaves from Africa, through Colombia and Panama to their final sale in Peru. The prime focus of the study is on the diet, health and medical care of the slaves. It will not only be of interest to scholars of the slave trade, but also to those interested in the impact of the Columbian Exchange on diets, medicine and medical practice in the early modern period. The book is well illustrated and contains over thirty tables and seven appendices. From Capture to Sale has been selected by Choice as Outstanding Academic Title (2007).